


Les Vrilles du Destin me tirent doucement

by XiroPaine



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Paris, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, Fashion & Couture, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Photography, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-07-20 12:49:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19992490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiroPaine/pseuds/XiroPaine
Summary: Himari is a foreign exchange exchange student, having come to France for her graduate degree in fashion design. Here she meets Tomoe, her free-spirited photographer of a roommate, and Kaoru, an eccentric model that crashes at their apartment more often than not. Their worlds collide in more ways than one, much too often to be mere coincidence. Perhaps that’s fate, if you choose to believe it as so.





	1. Bienvenue à Paris, Himari

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! It’s me, ya boi Xiro, back with a KaoTomoHima Paris AU. I had the idea over the whole Stand By Me card set and threw this together. Not quite sure what I’m gonna end up doing with it, but I’ve been wanting to write a KaoTomoHima fic in forever. I can never decide on which setting or plot I want to write about in my enigmatic mind of ideas. So, here’s my attempt at being decisive, we’ll make things work somehow. Note that I only took two semesters of French in university, so mind the translation mistakes if there are any.

Ah~ Paris; la Ville des Lumières; the city of love and romance. No matter what one may end up calling it, none could ever truly describe the sheer and utter beauty of the city when Himari first stepped out of the airport—the first step of many in her new life here in France. It had taken her years of struggling during her undergrad, but hard work and dedication got her accepted into the foreign exchange student program she had yearned for since her childhood. Where else better to get a graduate degree in fashion design than the Fashion Capital of the World?

As Himari sauntered through the bustling streets, it became quickly apparent to her that she was now in the deep end, plunging feet first into the unknown. Physically being in Europe was definitely quite the jump from looking through French websites in the comfort of her previous apartment back in Japan. However, she was more than determined to stay afloat in these treacherous waters. Maybe she wasn’t that exceptional at certain things—she had barely passed her French and English proficiency exams, if that was any sort of indication—but her undying passion and enthusiasm already got her this far, so there was no way she was backing out now.

Himari stopped in front of a tall residential building, checking on her navigation app to double check that she was indeed in the right location for her new living arrangements. The exterior was more on the rustic side in comparison to the rest of the city, but it wasn’t really anything worth complaining about. In fact, it almost held a certain sort of homey appeal to it, as if it were an inconspicuous nook that she could easily retreat into if things got too hectic. The pinkette was hesitant at first when she saw the pictures online, but the rent was cheap and her future roommate—the one who put up the posting for a vacant room in the humble two bedroom apartment—was also Japanese. Thankfully so, too, because Himari was still under practiced with her foreign language skills. This way, she would at least have one person she could speak her native tongue to and ask for help if she struggled with translating something.

Climbing the two steps up to the front door, Himari pressed the button to the call-box. Distorted ringing came from the old speaker before a deafening buzz emanated loudly, signalling that the door was unlocked momentarily. Usually Himari would opt for the stairs to give herself a bit of extra exercise, but considering her luggage, she instead took the elevator to the third floor. At the door of apartment 303, Himari hesitated as she raised her fist to knock, staring blankly at the brass plaque fastened to the wall next to it. Sure, she had talked to her future roommate a few times before over voice chat on Discord and followed each other on social media, but for some reason she was suddenly nervous at the prospect of meeting the person she would be living with for the next year—maybe two, if things went well since that’s how long the graduate program she was in usually lasted for.

Finally steeling herself, Himari knocked on the door as she swallowed the anxious lump in her throat. There were a few seconds of silence before the door opened before her, revealing a tall and undeniably handsome woman. 

« Hannn~! Vous devez être la nouveaux colocataire! Quelle belle journée pour vous rencontrer, ma chérie! » She beamed happily, her smile framed perfectly by her… purple hair? Wait a second, Himari was certain her roommate was supposed to be a redhead.

“Tomoe?” Himari asked, having to be sure. Maybe she just dyed her hair? Could be a possibility. Though, she wasn’t quite certain, since this person’s features and tone of voice were much different from what she remembered in their online interactions. Then again, they only ever conversed in Japanese.

« Moi? Non, non, non. Je m'appelle Kaoru. » The other woman, now identified as Kaoru, laughed. Her French flowed so smoothly off her tongue that Himari couldn’t help but blush. The purplette called from over her shoulder, looking keenly towards a closed door on the far side of the apartment. « Oi, Tomoe! Dépêchez-vous! Ton nouveaux colocataire est ici! »

Kaoru sidestepped, gesturing for Himari to come in and even offered to help carry her bags. She was led down the hall to a room at the end of the hall which she could only assume would be her new bedroom. As they passed the closed door Kaoru had been intently glaring at earlier, Himari barely made out sharp hiss followed by a muffled _“Fuck! Damn hair straightener!”_ in English that reverberated from beyond the barrier.

“I presume that you would be more comfortable hearing your native tongue, ne? Tomoe mentioned that you are originally from our homeland.” Kaoru inquired in Japanese as she set down Himari’s luggage next to the wall. “My apologies for earlier. French is my first language so I tend to default to—”

“It’s no problem at all!” Himari cut in suddenly, panicking over Kaoru’s sincerely contrite tone. “We’re in France, after all. Sure, I still have a bit of trouble understanding sometimes, but I’ll learn to manage. Don’t worry about me.”

“Mayhaps it would be good practice for the both of us, then. Both my parents are Japanese immigrants. However, I was born and raised entirely in France.”

“Have you ever been to Japan?” Himari questioned curiously.

“Once when I was much younger. Our stay there was quite fleeting, for it was only for the duration of my uncle’s wedding and then some. I honestly do not remember much from the trip itself.”

The two of them continued to converse as they returned to the living room. Coincidentally enough, Kaoru worked as a fashion model—though her passions lay in theatre. She met Tomoe, who was a college intern at the time, at a photo-shoot very early in her modeling career. Tomoe focused more on landscape photography—Himari knew this from the plethora of sunset-themed posts she had unapologetically liked when she first followed Tomoe’s photography account—but Kaoru would occasionally tip her in on opportunities to do fashion shoots when money got tight. The two fashionistas had already settled down on the couch when they heard the door of mystery finally open. A tall redhead walked out from the bathroom in a casual sleeveless shirt, smirking awkwardly at them. 

“Um, hey. Sorry to keep you waiting,” she greeted apologetically as she rubbed the back of her neck. Himari definitely did not miss the toned physique of her roommate’s biceps as she did so. “I wasn’t actually expecting your flight to land so early. Woulda offered to pick you up from the airport, but the photo-shoot with Kaoru here ran over longer than I expected and I was in the shower when you buzzed out front so I asked Kaoru to get the door for me and I’m completely rambling so I’m gonna stop now and try this again. Hi, I’m Tomoe, good to finally meet you in the flesh. And, uh… Bienvenue à Paris, Himari.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need your opinion/advice. Usually I would avoid using terms such as "pinkette" and "purplette" for describing hair colors, but tried to test the waters in this fic. Cause honestly "[insert unusual hair color here]-haired" gets boring and eeeeehhhhhh. What are your thoughts on the matter? What do you utilize when writing?


	2. Fear Not, Kaoru, Be Thou Know'st Thou Art

A quiet afternoon was exactly what Kaoru needed after the hectic photoshoot earlier this morning. While she was quite the socialite, there was nothing quite like lounging around and unwinding with a quaint book in hand—a story so captivating that Tomoe snoring on the other side of the couch easily faded into the background. Sparing a glance at the napping photographer, Kaoru clicked her tongue, for she knew Tomoe’s midday crash was inevitable. She recalled how little sleep Tomoe had gotten the night before. A spur of creativity, one might call it, but really Tomoe had just gotten sucked into editing some new photos of hers that she lost track of time. 

It really was a peaceful afternoon, but one oh-so-fleeting as Tomoe's phone began to ring. A stubborn groan emanated deep from Tomoe’s chest as she rolled over to groggily check the caller ID. Recognizing the number the call-box out front would call from, Tomoe reflexively pressed the button to allow the guest in. Tomoe held a very casual open-door policy with her apartment when she was home, so she never bothered with double-checking who came to visit unannounced. Probably a habit she’d have to break once Himari—

Kaoru let out an involuntary shrill, almost dropping her book in the process, as she was startled by Tomoe suddenly jumping to her feet. Tomoe was already halfway to her bedroom before Kaoru could even ask what her deal was.

“Why the rush?” Kaoru asked, leaning against the door frame as Tomoe was stuffing all her dirty laundry from her floor and into the hamper. “Did you have a fancy date coming?”

“New Roommate, Himari,” Tomoe hastily explained. She whizzed past Kaoru, already half undressed and carrying a wad of clothing that was probably clean. “Totally forgot her flight got changed to an earlier arrival time.”

Kaoru hummed in recognition. Himari was mentioned in their conversations a few times in the past, but otherwise Kaoru knew absolutely nothing about the mysterious roommate. She spoke loudly through the door Tomoe had essentially slammed in front of her face. “So she’s here, and you’re just now taking a shower?”

“I’ll be out in like 5 minutes, no worries. I take quick showers, anyways,” Tomoe’s voice bellowed from the other side of the door. The sound of the shower starting barely drowned out her voice as she was stressfully screaming at Kaoru. “Just let her in, show her her room. I dunno! Stall with your pleasantries or whatever!”

“As you know, I am the best with pleasantries,” Kaoru said smoothly.

“Don’t you dare flirt with my new roommate!”

“I didn’t hear you call dibs, luv,” Kaoru countered teasingly, snickering to herself. Tomoe hated when Kaoru used terms of endearment towards her, as if she were like one of her various little kittens she would openly flirt with. Riling up Tomoe was most amusing to her indeed.

“I never said I—! Kaoru! I swear to every eternal deity that roams this mortal plane if you—”

“Sorry, what was that? I can’t seem to hear you over the sound of your frantic showering. Please do be careful not to slip, dearie,” Kaoru really wanted to have the last word in this bickering exchange of theirs. She knew she had won when Tomoe just groaned loudly in frustration moments later as the shower turned off almost as quickly as it had been turned on. Kaoru faintly heard the sound of rolling luggage coming to a stop at the front door. “Ah, that must be Himari now. Toodle loo, luv, I’m off to stall with my pleasantries, as per your request.”

Perhaps it was the satisfaction of her banter with Tomoe, or perhaps the excitement of meeting the new roommate she would certainly be seeing often in the future, but Kaoru was absolutely gleaming by the time a knock came from the other side of the door. She just managed to compose herself enough not to open the door immediately, but she certainly made sure to put on her best face when she greeted the new arrival. Kaoru was immediately met with the stature of a shorter, pink-haired Japanese woman. Kaoru was fairly certain she was around the same age as her and Tomoe, and—well, dare she say rather attractive. No wonder Tomoe had gotten so flustered earlier; Kaoru almost wanted to take back her witty remarks from earlier. Her charismatic nature took over upon impulse.

« Hannn~! Vous devez être le nouveaux colocataire! » (“Ah! You must be the new roommate!”) 

Kaoru beamed happily with that handsome smile of hers. She had all but perfected through countless photoshoots. 

« Quelle belle journée pour vous rencontrer, ma chérie! »  
(“What a lovely day it is to meet you, my dear.”)

“Tomoe?” The other asked, clearly confused. Of course she was. One would expect to be greeted by their roommate upon opening the door of their new home, and Kaoru was sure Tomoe had at least ensure that she wasn’t complete strangers with her roommate before she moved in.

« Moi? Non, non, non. Je m'appelle Kaoru. »  
(“Me? No, no, no. My name’s Kaoru.”)

Despite her outward mannerisms, Kaoru was internally panicking—as she does with most beautiful women. Seeing the girl blush—Kaoru only vaguely registered that her name was Himari, despite Tomoe literally saying her name a few minutes ago—only made the situation worse. She definitely was going to need back up soon before she started to falter on her act. A lead actress must always have her supporting role with her, to bring out the best in both of them. Kaoru desperately hoped that Tomoe would hurry along. 

« Oi, Tomoe! Dépêchez-vous! Ton nouveaux colocataire est ici! »  
(“Oi, Tomoe! Hurry up! Your new roommate is here!”)

_Stall with pleasantries._

Kaoru realized they were still at the front door and quickly stepped aside to welcome Himari in. She even offered to take her luggage and lead her to the spare bedroom, even if it was just to hide her face for a moment to avoid having Himari catch onto her fluffed up princely persona so quickly. She faintly heard Tomoe cursing to herself in a foreign language. English, probably. Tomoe’s sister lived in America now, and so she learned to be quite fluent in that language as well. Ah yes, Kaoru remembered that different languages certainly do exist.

“I presume that you would be more comfortable hearing your native tongue, ne?” Kaoru tried her best to speak Japanese to bring some comfort to Himari, but she was certain that she probably sounded too proper. She only ever got to practice with Tomoe and a few others in their ethnic community, and Tomoe never really tried to correct her since it somehow went well with her whole princely persona anyways. Her nervousness was much more present when she switched languages, and hopefully Himari would only register it as being a communication barrier. “Tomoe mentioned that you are originally from our homeland. My apologies for earlier. French is my first language so I tend to default to—”

“It’s no problem at all!” Himari was quick to cut in, as if she was the one that had done wrong. “We’re in France, after all. Sure, I still have a bit of trouble understanding sometimes, but I’ll learn to manage. Don’t worry about me.”

Kaoru felt bad that she had made Himari worry, but it did soothe her in knowing that they were both just as nervous as the other about meeting someone new. “Mayhaps it would be good practice for both of us, then.”

The conversation seemed to flow easier after that. Himari was in France as a foreign exchange student, and the mention of her studying for a graduate degree in fashion design instantly made Kaoru perk up. A common heritage and a common interest made their interaction much more natural than before. Kaoru didn’t even register how caught up they got in the conversation until the bathroom door finally opened. Reinforcements had arrived.

Tomoe was busy apologizing profusely and rambling nervously. Classic Tomoe in gay panic mode, as many of their friends would call it. It was clear as day—at least between the two of them and their stolen glances—that they were indeed on the same boat, as always. That only meant the waves of tribulation would be crashing down soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have no plot planned for this AU. It might seem somewhat out of character, I don't know. This is really just for me to indulge myself seeing as there is not a lot of content on these three as a ship.


End file.
